Ok, I will try switching her to turkey. I can buy a couple of turkey carcasess and that should be enough for her. Now I have been using a ratio of about 70% bone in and 20% boneless, the boneless being beef heart. That beef heart is also new to her. Should I just assume the meaty sections like turkey breast can count as boneless ? Are the giblits that come in a turkey enough organ meat for her per turkey? Seems like naturally speaking, the ratio per bird should be correct for the dog!

Oh, and my vet about had a cow when I said she got raw chicken bones Does she know something I do not? She IS a very young vet, so tends to be overreactive to many things. She would bleed me dry if I did all the tests she suggests! The dogs seem to really chew the bones well, and I was planning on only giving them chicken backs once they came in as opposed to leg and thigh pieces. I will grind those up.

dogcrazyjen wrote:Ok, I will try switching her to turkey. I can buy a couple of turkey carcasess and that should be enough for her. Now I have been using a ratio of about 70% bone in and 20% boneless, the boneless being beef heart. That beef heart is also new to her. Should I just assume the meaty sections like turkey breast can count as boneless ? Are the giblits that come in a turkey enough organ meat for her per turkey? Seems like naturally speaking, the ratio per bird should be correct for the dog!

Oh, and my vet about had a cow when I said she got raw chicken bones Does she know something I do not? She IS a very young vet, so tends to be overreactive to many things. She would bleed me dry if I did all the tests she suggests! The dogs seem to really chew the bones well, and I was planning on only giving them chicken backs once they came in as opposed to leg and thigh pieces. I will grind those up.

I don't worry so much about the ratio. As long as it has more meat than bone it's all good IMO. I don't buy whole turkeys for them ( I don't have the room) I buy parts. The legs & wings I get are HUGE & even the wings have plenty or meat on them & weigh over a pound each.

Raw chicken bones are fine for dogs as long as they chew them up well. They don't splinter like cooked ones do. If you are worried about them you can break them up with a hammer before feeding. I feed legs & thighs ( when I feed them but I don't do it often due to one of my dogs being allergic) and even my little dog has NO problems with them. I have recently stopped feeding her anything but crushed bones because she gobbled her food one night, threw up & ended up choking on a pork foot bone. Your vet is only going by what they are taught in school & it is my understanding that they do not cover nutrition much at all. COOKED bones are a problem, RAW are not.

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

I also like turkey necks. If you know any butchers, you can ask them to save the necks for you....that's what mine does (they would throw them out anyway). The puppy loves turkey necks...she gets that for dinner once a week, but, like Debby, I try to use a hammer on it first....

Ok, I have a hatchet that I use for the meat, it does a real number on crushing it up. I noticed that the leg pieces do get sharp, but the girls chew really well. The dal whippet gets ground because he is a wuss and can't seem to chew the pieces well enough (and barfed the whole thing up!)

I have a chest freeze, and as soon as I empty the morgue I will have tons of room.

We have a 55 pound dog, 3 chickens, a guinie pig and a cat in there right now. It was not a very good year.

Maryellen wrote:2nd night of california natural herring and sweet potato.no licking of feet, no rubbing face on carpet, couch, or walls.. no pacing.. nice and relaxed...

Maryellen,
I didn't realize you were feeding a kibble. The kibble you are using may relieve Jesse's symptoms, but you are not doing a true elimination diet, because there are other ingredients other than the herring and sweet potato. I looked at the ingredient list:

It has two grains, sunflower oils (which is a super allergenic oil for dogs), vitamins, 'natural' flavors, and rosemary extract. You are adding a lot of ingredients in the mix that could potentially cause an allergic reaction.

i know.. i cant do raw with her as it doesnt work well with the chicken and turkey... so far on the ca natural she is doing great, no licking, scratching, rubbing her head or anything.. she is actually calmer after eating, where before after eating she would be pacing alot and seem anxiious... if this doesnt work i guess i should do raw protein then? like rabbit, etc?

Maryellen wrote:i know.. i cant do raw with her as it doesnt work well with the chicken and turkey... so far on the ca natural she is doing great, no licking, scratching, rubbing her head or anything.. she is actually calmer after eating, where before after eating she would be pacing alot and seem anxiious... if this doesnt work i guess i should do raw protein then? like rabbit, etc?

Maryellen wrote:if the dry kibble doesnt work should i go to prepackaged raw exotic meats?

Do you have a local source where you can get venison, duck, or rabbit? It would probably be a little cheaper than going pre-packaged. Salmon is also a protein you could try, but I would probably cook it a bit.

well, its been yet another night of feeding jesse the california natural herring and sweet potato... and she is still not licking her feet.... i think i have found the answer finally.... she isnt rubbing her body or face after she eats on the furniture or area rug in the living room, she is no longer pacing right after she eats and is actually still calm and relaxed.. since this is a new food i will give it for 90 days to see if it really is working... i know once the grass starts growing her air allergies will get worse, but hopefully with the new food, benadry, and some luck it will be more bearable for her....

so far so good... i am so happy.. i am switching all 3 dogs to the new food too, and i noticed rufus isnt rubbing his body onthe couch either after he eats.... sonny is well, sonny, nothing bothers him..